New president, new times

President Donald Trump’s inauguration speech in Washington DC on January 20 kept millions of people, Americans and from the rest of the world, glued to their TV sets.

For the show — because entertainment it was, and on large scale — but, mostly for the message.

The speech, it was hoped, would finally show Trump’s real, as opposed to election campaign posturing, intentions.

It would indicate the course America takes to address its own and the world’s challenges.

It was also watched by many to see whether Trump softens the tone and rises up to the position for which he was elected.

Now, judging by the tenor and content of the new US president’s first speech, the international community, at least, has reason to be worried.

Trump’s words sounded still populist and nationalist.

While promising an “America First” policy, a laudable pledge, no doubt, he still blustered against immigrants, globalisation, foreign armies that the US “subsidised” and “Radical Islamic Terrorism, which we will eradicate completely from the face of the Earth”.

While one appreciates that nations, big or small, determine their policies on the basis of their national interests, it does not sound right that a country as powerful as the US, to which most others look up and hope to emulate or have as an ally, should isolate itself behind walls and turn its back to the world at large.

“We must protect our borders from the ravages of other countries making our products, stealing our companies and destroying our jobs. Protection will lead to great prosperity and strength,” he said, making even more difficult promises: “We will bring back our jobs. We will bring back our borders. We will bring back our wealth. And we will bring back our dreams.”

Grandiose goals, sure, but how to reach them?

Not a word, not during his election campaign and not during the inauguration speech, was uttered about domestic or foreign policy plans.

His words were expected, no doubt, by those who elected Trump. But what about the rest of Americans, and most of the world population?

The global economy is governed by multinational or multiparty treaties and agreements, and nations are bound by them when they formulate and adopt their policies.

So are most other relations between countries. A president cannot undo decades of ties, even with the loftiest ideals in mind.

The world is governed by civil and interest-based behaviour and agreements, and not observing them spells chaos.

What happens in a country often affects its neighbours, as our region learned the hard way, and when it comes to the planet and environment, no nation can hope to be spared the fate the others share.

Now that the 45th US president is officially in charge, the world has no choice but to wait and hope that Trump will make good on his promises to the Americans and work with the rest of the world to make it a better place.